Search form

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Fork Complex: A community meeting will be held today, August 2, at 1pm at the Hayfork Community Church in Hayfork. A community meeting will be held today, August 2, at 4pm in Hyampom, at the Volunteer Fire Department.:

Humboldt County added to federal drug trafficking area list

The federal government added Humboldt County to the list of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) in the country. The announcement came today from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and will aid the county with federal dollars to help combat drug trafficking along the North Coast.

"I’ve been told we’ll receive $90,000 to help with the new HIDTA initiative here in Humboldt County,” Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey said. “I don't know what that equates to in the future years, all I know is this gives us a streamlined approach to garner both federal financial and assistance in other resources."

Humboldt was one of twelve counties that were added today to the 28 established areas in the nation. Those counties will receive federal resources to coordinate and develop drug control efforts through federal, state, local and tribal enforcement. Humboldt County is part of the Northern California HIDTA, which includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma.

"I can see the funding being used for overtime, for officer costs, and for any other issues that go along with an investigation," Sheriff Downey said.

Sheriff Downey said he wasn’t expecting the designation to come this year. He said they’ve been part of a grant through the Central Valley HIDTA to stop methamphetamine trafficking, but that grant expired.